[mou] HOWA at Murphy-Hanrehan

[Jim Williams]

Tell us who the discourteous individual was. It is the best, perhaps=20
the only, way to solve this problem. Such behavior ought to have its=20
reward.
Jim Williams
Wayzata




On May 9, 2005, at 3:04 PM, Carol Carter wrote:

Yesterday, while birding with friends at Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve,=20=

I witnessed a disturbing violation of both Park ordinance and birding=20
ethics. My companions and I were looking for the Hooded Warbler that=20
had been reported on the MOU-net on Saturday. We heard a Hooded Warbler=20=

singing and when we approached the area we saw two birder/photographers=20=

who were off trail in the woods apparently trying to photograph the=20
bird.

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When the warbler moved close to the trail, the photographers came back=20=

out of the woods to the trail. I told them that Park ordinance required=20=

them to stay on designated trails unless they had a special use permit.=20=

I was courteous and non-confrontational when I made this statement. One=20=

of the photographers responded courteously and said, =93Oh, we didn=92t=20=

know that, sorry.=94 The other man, however, was not courteous, and his=20=

attitude was really =93in your face.=94 He told me that he WAS on a =
trail=20
(it was really an oak wilt plow-line), that HE had a degree in natural=20=

resources, and that HE understood the ecology of the forest VERY WELL,=20=

thank you, and the habitat was ALREADY disturbed, and he WAS CERTAIN=20
that HE had not done any further damage to the vegetation. He also said=20=

that he, OF COURSE, would not have gone into undisturbed habitat to=20
pursue the bird. This individual was reluctant to tell me his name=20
until after I introduced myself and told him I was the Wildlife=20
Specialist for Three Rivers Park District... to which he responded=20
=93Well, good for you.=94 I was very disturbed by this confrontation=20
and=A0thoroughly dismayed by the attitude of this well-known and, I=20
thought, well-respected birder.

=A0

For the benefit of the many birders who appreciate the special place=20
that is Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve, and the special birds that can=20
only be found there, I wish to provide the following information:

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Park ordinance concerning hiking within the Parks states the following:=20=

=93it shall be unlawful for any person to hike in a park except in=20
recreation and nature center use areas, and on DESIGNATED trails and=20
roadways, unless authorized by special use permit.=94 Birders should be=20=

aware that oak wilt plow-lines are NOT trails. It is probably true that=20=

if you walk on a plow-line you will not do any serious or immediate=20
damage to the habitat. However, if every birder who comes along walks=20
on the plow-lines, the vegetation will not recover, and the plow-lines=20=

will BECOME trails. This is an undesirable outcome from the point of=20
view of protecting the vegetation and habitat within the park.

  =A0

Even more important is the disturbance to a bird caused by being=20
followed around its territory and being flushed repeatedly from one=20
song perch after another. If one person does this one time=A0early in =
the=20
breeding season, there is probably no serious disruption to the bird=92s=20=

breeding cycle. However, if every birder who wants to see or photograph=20=

a Hooded Warbler does the same thing, the bird could very well abandon=20=

its territory altogether.=A0Please be aware that there are=A0several =
Hooded=20
Warbler territories at Murphy-Hanrehan that are bisected by designated=20=

trails. It is not necessary to go off trail to see or to photograph=20
them. PLEASE stay on designated trails.

  =A0

The bottom line is this: An ethical=A0birder puts the welfare of the =
bird=20
and its habitat before his or her desire to see or=A0to photograph the=20=

bird.
  =A0
Carol Carter
Wildlife Specialist
Three Rivers Park District
3800 County Road 24
Maple Plain, MN 55359
Phone: 763-694-7848
Cell: 612-490-0882
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